Discussion and opinion from a large, academic anesthesia department

September 08, 2008

Post operative mortality and morbidity

Investigators from the University of Pennsylvania using a retrospective analysis of 144,740 operations done within the VA system demonstrated that morbidity, but not mortality, increases when non emergent general and vascular cases are started after 4 p.m.They concluded that when considering a nonemergent procedure, surgeons most bear in mind that cases starting after “routine business” hours may face an elevated risk of complications.Kelz RR et al: Time of day is associated with postoperative morbidity: an analysis of the National Surgical Quality Improvement Program Data.Ann Surg 2008;247:544-552

NOTES

Blogmaster

This blog is organized and maintained by David S. Smith, M.D., Ph.D. Associate Professor of Anesthesiology and Critical Care, University of Pennsylvania. His subspeciality is anesthesia for patients undergoing neurosurgery. For the past 6 years he has had responsibilites for patient safety and clinical care quality improvment in a Department of over 65 faculty who provide anesthesia care for about 24,000 patients each year. Correspondance can be sent to upennanesthesiology@gmail.com

Mission Statement

The purpose of this blog is primarily to provide ongoing contact with former residents and faculty of the Department of Anesthesiology and Critical Care at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, U.S.A. Others may also have an interest in the topics presented. We plan to discuss a variety of issues related to the practice of anesthesiology with an emphasis on patient safety, risk management and medical legal aspects of care.

Disclaimer

The content and observations on this Weblog come mostly from members of the Department of Anesthesiology and Critical Care of the University of Pennsylvania. However this material does not represent the official opinion of that Department, the University of Pennsylvania or any of its other Departments or Divisions. Medicine is a rapidly changing field. We cannot guarantee that any of the material here is correct or up to date.